Kritik zu „Hänsel und Gretel“ am Oldenburgischen Staatstheater

Auch musikalisch ist der Abend äußerst kurzweilig, weil Dirigent Eric Staiger zwar ohne Hast aber eben auch immer flüssig vorwärts dirigiert. Dabei kommt kein Detail zu kurz, weder die süße Romantik noch die verspielten und grellen Elemente. Denn das Oldenburgische Staatsorchester hat sich hervorragend auf diese Partitur eingestellt. Ein besonderes Lob gebührt in dieser Aufführung den Hörnern. Die sehr gute Besetzung wird angeführt von Dorothee Bienert, die einen toughen Hänsel singt. In jeder Lage kommt das individuelle Timbre zur Geltung und fast jedes Wort ist verständlich. Sehr schnell stimmt auch die Bühnenchemie mit der Einspringerin Martyna Cymerman, die zwar schon die Gretel an diesem Haus gesungen hat, aber relativ spontan aus Augsburg angereist ist. Ihr Sopran klingt anfangs noch etwas belegt, singt sich aber im Laufe des Abends frei, und zum Abendsegen vereinen sich Sopran und Mezzosopran zu dieser magischen Harmonie. Seumas Begg gibt der Hexe einen ungewohnt schönen Charaktertenor. Anfangs noch sehr sauber gesungen, lässt er seine Stimme immer mehr von der Leine, bis sie passend zur Rolle immer böser klingt. Eine sehr gute, zur Szene passende Entwicklung. Xuelu Zhou bringt für den Sandmann einen Sopran aus einer anderen Sphäre mit. Charlotte Rabbels singt das fliegende Taumännchen. Paul Brady ist mit seiner Ausstrahlung und dem passenden Bariton ein Peter Besenbinder wie aus dem Bilderbuch. Bea Robein als Mutter Gertud fällt an diesem Abend etwas ab.

Im tosenden Schlussapplaus des Abends wird auch der heimliche Star der Aufführung gebührend gefeiert. Der Kinder- und Jugendchor des Oldenburgischen Staatstheaters sammelt in dieser Oper erste Bühnenerfahrungen. Thomas Honickel, Silvia Kollenbach und Antonio Planelles Gallego haben die Kinder und Jugendlichen auf ihre wichtige Aufgabe vorbereitet, die sie mit großer Aufmerksamkeit meistern.

Rating: Worth seeing and hearing

A visit to the opera with children is only recommended if the interpretation of the piece is designed for them. As much as every modern, radical interpretation for adults has its justification, there is also a need for performances in which families with small children can discover the genre of opera. With Hansel and Gretel, the Oldenburg State Theatre has just such an opera in its repertoire, which nine years after its premiere in 2015 still ensures a sold-out house during the Christmas season. Parents must be able to judge for their children just how scary the Grimm fairy tale is for them. The text of the opera is of course only partially contemporary. Sentences such as “And if you don't fill the basket to the brim, I'll knock you against the wall!” should be explained to children through the lens of contemporary pedagogy.

Felix Schrödinger directs the revival of Michael Moxham's production. Together with set designer Jason Southgate and with lighting by Steff Flächsenhaar, they make use of all the theatrical possibilities to tell the fairy tale with recognition value and yet with their own impulses. A door in the middle of the forest is particularly striking. The Sandman comes out of it, the cuckoo nests on it and in the second part of the evening the witch also appears on it. When the crispy house is lowered as bait for the siblings, the whole house begins to smell of gingerbread. The witch first appears as an old woman, but then transforms like her colleagues from the movie “the witches”. Gretel pushes her into an oven, which explodes with a loud bang and smoke. In the first picture, Hansel and Gretel play in a confined space on, under and around a table. The small living room is set in an implied forest, which accompanies the action throughout the evening. The overture is accompanied by a beautiful shadow play of Peter Broombinder selling the witch a broom, which also explains why the father has a lot to say about the witch.

Musically, too, the evening is extremely entertaining, as conductor Eric Staiger conducts without haste but always fluently. No detail is neglected, neither the sweet romanticism nor the playful and flashy elements. This is because the Oldenburg State Orchestra has adapted excellently to this score. The horns deserve special praise in this performance. The excellent cast is led by Dorothee Bienert, who sings a tough Hansel. Her individual timbre comes into its own in every register and almost every word is understandable. The stage chemistry with stand-in Martyna Cymerman, who has already sung Gretel in this house but has traveled relatively spontaneously from Augsburg, is also very quickly right. Her soprano initially sounds a little overcast, but sings freely as the evening progresses, and the soprano and mezzo-soprano unite to create this magical harmony for the evening blessing. Seumas Begg gives the witch an unusually beautiful character tenor. Initially sung very cleanly, he lets his voice off the leash more and more until it sounds increasingly evil, in keeping with the role. A very good development that fits the scene. Xuelu Zhou brings a soprano from another sphere to the Sandman. Charlotte Rabbels sings the flying dew-man. Paul Brady, with his charisma and matching baritone, is a picture-book Peter Broombinder. Bea Robein as Mother Gertud falls somewhat short on this evening.

In the thunderous final applause of the evening, the secret star of the performance is also duly celebrated. The children's and youth choir of the Oldenburg State Theater gains its first stage experience in this opera. Thomas Honickel, Silvia Kollenbach and Antonio Planelles Gallego have prepared the children and young people for their important task, which they master with great attention.

Translation by DeepL